Safeguarding in the curriculum

Safeguarding in the curriculum

Safeguarding is at the heart of everything we do across all schools within the Lion Academy Trust. A great importance is placed on identifying wider opportunities for children to learn about safeguarding through our wide and broad and balanced curriculum. 

Our wider broad and balanced curriculum provides the opportunity for all pupils to experience life in all its diversity, to acquire knowledge, understanding, and skills that significantly impact personal development, behaviour, and welfare, and equips every child with the knowledge and skills required for personal safeguarding.

This is also underpinned by our PSCHE curriculum which ensures all areas of safeguarding covers all areas of Safeguarding. At Lion Academy Trust, we are sensitive in our teaching and recognise that some more sensitive subjects may need to be adapted to meet the needs of all individual pupils and taught at an age-appropriate level, through small groups or even on a 1:1 basis where appropriate.

We constantly challenge children to think deeply about safeguarding matters and their own personal physical and mental wellbeing. We value pupils’ questions and give them space for their own thoughts, ideas, and concerns at all times throughout their education with us. 

We give pupils’ opportunities across an aspirational and challenging curriculum to explore values, personal rights, responsibilities, and equal opportunities that develop moral concepts that impact positively on safeguarding, promote British values and prevent radicalisation and extremism. There are simply many opportunities throughout our learning in school to explore safeguarding issues.

Practical safeguarding opportunities are planned into the curriculum for all year groups. For example:

• Road safety (including cycle training through bike-ability) through external providers and through the 'Road Safety' unit delivered through our PSCHE curriculum. 
• Water safety which is reinforced through swimming lessons and through the 'Water Safety" unit delivered through our PSCHE curriculum
• Fire awareness training, including visits from the local fire service, and through the 'Fire Watch' unit delivered through our PSCHE curriculum
• Visits to school from external professionals such as medical staff, police etc
• Visitors from charitable organisations such as Barnardos and NSPCC who visit our children and deliver assemblies and in-class sessions. 
• Work with local secondary schools to ensure and plan for a safe transition to Secondary school
• Safe use of technology including password security and privacy settings which is further reinforced through the school's dedicated and specific e-safety curriculum

We continue to develop an open and safe learning environment in which pupils express their views, seek help, and help others, which is underpinned by our individual school values. The promotion of equality of opportunity and diversity, for pupils and staff, helps prevent any form of direct or indirect discriminatory behaviour.

Through our zero tolerance approach to behaviour, our children learn to not tolerate any prejudiced behaviour with our behaviour policy promoting children to make good choices and exhibit good learning behaviours both inside and outside of the classroom. Class times are a time for sharing ideas, addressing concerns, and promoting important values.

Our assembly timetable and PSCHE sessions are used to promote personal safeguarding matters and explore themes. For example, we talk the British values, including how these values are promoted in our diverse and multi–faith society. Staff and children are quick to challenge stereotypes and the use of derogatory language in lessons and around the school.

Throughout the curriculum, there are planned opportunities to promote all forms of equality and foster a greater understanding of and respect for people of all faiths (and those with no faith), races, genders, ages, disabilities, and sexual orientations, through their words, actions and in their influence. 

Time is taken at the beginning of every new school year to reaffirm school values and expectations. 

 At Lion Academy Trust we believe that this leads to good safeguarding outcomes.